And now for something really different: a licorice macaroon—réglisse in French—with a salted caramel filling. It’s an example of how Ladurée thinks outside the pastry box.All photography courtesy Ladurée.

Macaron Recipe

A baking supply shop or online supplier can sell you quality flavorings, and you know not to skimp by buying cheap almonds. But your challenge, if you want to do the macaron equivalent of a “World Pastry Cup” challenge, is to find (or make) great fillings and experiment with the truly great flavors.

Ladurée does not reveal many secrets in parting with this recipe. You’d need to get your hands on the same flavorings and fillings used there, and have the same deft hand at macaron-making as those gifted professionals. And, a large part of the skill is knowing what flavors of meringue to pair with what flavors of filling.

But of course you can come up with something faster, and far more reasonably priced, than a mac pilgrimage to Paris! Find the best artisan jams and collaborate with jam-making friends: They make huckleberry jam, you make huckleberry macarons, everyone has enough for two parties.

This recipe makes inch-wide mini macarons. If you want them larger, pipe a larger macaron onto the cookie sheet.

Ingredients

2 cups confectioners’ sugar (480g)

1 cup plus 3-1/2 tablespoons ground
almonds (280g)

7 egg whites

An appropriate filling
(or, try more than one filling with a
particular meringue flavor to see
what combinations you prefer—for
example, pistachio with pistachio
buttercream versus chocolate
ganache or white chocolate ganache)

A few drops of flavored food coloring, such as raspberry

If you’re a whiz in the pastry kitchen, try these stunners: chocolate with gold leaf.

Fan favorites include Pistachio, Raspberry and Salted Butter Caramel. You may want to start out with Raspberry, as it’s easy to find a good flavoring/coloring as well as good artisan raspberry jam. We’re also including a recipe for a chocolate raspberry ganache below.

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Line two baking trays with parchment paper.

If using whole almonds, pulse in a food processor until very finely ground, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the confectioner’s sugar and process to a fine powder. Sift to remove any lumps.

Beat the egg whites in bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed, adding the food coloring as you go until you reach the desired shade. Then increase speed to high and continue to beat until the whites just hold stiff, glossy peaks.

Quickly and carefully add the almond-sugar powder. (Meringue will deflate.)

With a wooden spoon, mix from the center of the bowl outwards, turning the bowl as you go. You want to achieve a smooth, lightly colored mixture.

Spoon batter into a piping bag with a 1/4-inch round tip. If you don’t have a piping bag, use a plastic freezer bag, pressing out excess air. Snip off one corner to create a 1/4-inch opening. Pipe inch-wide macarons onto the baking trays, about 1-1/2 inches apart. You should have peaked mounds of batter, about the size of a chocolate kiss.

Cook for eight to nine minutes, leaving the door of the oven slightly ajar.

Remove the macarons from the oven. Pour a little water between the baking tray and the parchment paper; this makes the macarons easier to lift off when they have cooled. Cool completely on racks, about 30 minutes.

10.

Carefully peel macarons from parchment; they are fragile. Sandwich a thin layer of fillings between two macarons—ganache, marmalade, jam or whipped cream. The two bottoms face the filling.

If you can, leave the finished macarons in the refrigerator for 24 hours. This allows the flavors and texture to develop and intensify.

Whipped cream macarons must be stored in the refrigerator; others can be kept in airtight tins at room temperature for up to three days after production.

At right, violet macarons with blackcurrant jam. You can make them, too.

Recipe only originally published in the U.K.’s Daily Mail. Instructions revised by THE NIBBLE.

1. MELT chocolate with cream in the top of a double boiler, stirring until smooth. If you don’t have a double boiler, use a metal bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water.

2. WHEN the chocolate is melted into the cream, remove bowl from heat. Add the butter and raspberry extract, stirring until butter is melted.